Indiana · waiver service
Structured Family Caregiving (SFC) in Indiana
Structured Family Caregiving is a service on Indiana's PathWays for Aging, Health and Wellness, and Traumatic Brain Injury waivers. A family caregiver who lives with the member works with an approved SFC agency, which provides a caregiver coach and nurse oversight and pays the caregiver a daily stipend. It is the main Indiana option that lets a spouse or a parent of a minor child be paid.
Also called: SFC · structured family care · Indiana structured family caregiving · SFC Indiana PathWays · SFC Health and Wellness waiver
Who do you care for?
Quick facts
- Pay
- $77.54–$133.44/day (agency rate)
- Adult children & other relatives
- Yes
- Spouse
- Yes
- Parent of a minor child
- Yes
- Waitlist
- long
Who qualifies for SFC
- Enrolled in Indiana Medicaid and in the PathWays for Aging (age 60+), Health and Wellness (disability, under 60) or Traumatic Brain Injury waiver.
- Needs a nursing-facility level of care, set by an Area Agency on Aging assessment.
- Lives full time with the chosen caregiver in a private home.
- The SFC level (1, 2 or 3) is based on how much daily help the member needs.
Who can be paid as the caregiver
- Adult children & other relatives Yes
- adult children, other relatives, guardians, POAs and health care representatives may provide SFC.
- Spouse Yes
- FSSA lists the spouse of the waiver recipient as allowed to provide structured family care.
- Parent of a minor child Yes
- on the Health and Wellness waiver, biological or adoptive parents, guardians, foster parents and stepparents of a minor may provide SFC.
- Living together
- the caregiver and member must live together.
Who employs the caregiver: Agency. The caregiver must be enrolled with an approved SFC provider agency that supervises the home and pays the stipend.
Spouse rules differ by program — see spouse pay in Indiana.
How much SFC pays
$77.54–$133.44/day (agency rate). Effective July 1, 2025 the state pays the SFC agency $77.54/day (Level 1), $99.71 (Level 2) or $133.44 (Level 3). Agencies must spend at least 60% of the daily rate on the caregiver stipend and direct-care costs, which per FSSA also covers caregiver coaching, nurse supervision and respite. That puts the caregiver's tax-free stipend at roughly $46–$80/day or less, depending on the agency.
Hours and budget: SFC is paid per day, not per hour. The level is set from the member's assessed needs in the service plan.
Compare with other Indiana programs on the Indiana caregiver pay page, or across states in pay rates by state.
Is there a waitlist?
PathWays and Health and Wellness hit federally approved capacity in April 2024 and use waiting lists; FSSA posts counts on its waiver waiting list page (6,836 on the Health and Wellness list as of August 2026).
How to apply for SFC
- Contact your local Area Agency on Aging (INconnect Alliance, 800-986-3505) for intake and a level-of-care screening.
- Apply for Indiana Medicaid through FSSA and get placed on the waiver waiting list if slots are full.
- When invited, accept within 30 days and finish the service plan within 180 days.
- Ask your care manager or care coordinator for SFC and choose an SFC agency.
- INconnect Alliance (Area Agencies on Aging) · 800-986-3505 · official site
- Indiana Health Coverage Programs customer assistance · 800-457-4584 · official site
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SFC questions
Can I get paid to care for my spouse in Indiana?
Yes, through Structured Family Caregiving if you live together and your spouse is on a qualifying waiver. Spouses cannot be paid for attendant care.
Can a parent get paid to care for a disabled child in Indiana?
Yes, through SFC on the Health and Wellness waiver. Parents of minors cannot provide attendant care since July 1, 2024.
How much does structured family caregiving pay in Indiana?
The agency gets $77.54 to $133.44 a day by level. At least 60% must go to the caregiver and direct-care costs, so the stipend is often about $46 to $80 a day.
Is the SFC stipend taxable?
SFC stipends are commonly treated as tax-free difficulty-of-care payments under IRS Notice 2014-7 when the caregiver lives with the member. Ask your agency or a tax adviser.
Why is there a waiting list?
PathWays and Health and Wellness reached their federal slot limits in 2024. FSSA invites people off the list as slots open.
Sources: in.gov · in.gov · in.gov · Updated 2026-10-08. Program rules change — always confirm with the program.
Where most Indiana caregivers are
Counties with the most residents aged 65 and older. The rules are the same everywhere in Indiana — pick yours for the local picture.
Across the line
States that border Indiana
Each state writes its own rules, and they differ more than people expect — a spouse who can be paid on one side of the line often cannot be on the other.